Wholemeal Apple Hot Cross Buns

Wholemeal Apple Hot Cross Buns

I’m feeling a bit tired and dizzy today as I was up until 1 am last night! No I wasn’t out clubbing but was perfecting my recipe for Wholemeal Apple Hot Cross Buns. I’m not much of a one for planning, indeed I’d intended to make a Hot Cross Bread & Butter Pudding this week. But suddenly I found myself deciding to make Hot Cross Buns which I had only ever made once at school.

I didn’t really have much of a relationship with bread making in my youth and it’s only in the last couple of years that it’s become a passion of mine. Therefore I felt it was high time that I made my own Hot Cross Buns! So armed with my old school recipe I started my bake.

Well the first hurdle was that I only had strong wholemeal flour and not white flour. “I know” I thought, “I’m sure I’ve seen Wholemeal Apple Hot Cross Buns for sale I’ll make those”! A quick google told me that in a taste test some Apple & Cinnamon ones had only scored 4.5 out of 10 so I decided to stick with the traditional mixed spice.

I played about with the recipe I had chopping and changing things here and there but stuck to the one rising, which is where I tripped up. After baking, out came some small, slightly over cooked but delicious hot cross buns which were too close in texture and not like the light fluffy ones you buy in a bakery or supermarket.

Sometimes I might just give up on a recipe but I could see that there was huge potential here. I just needed to tweak a few things like adding a bit more yeast, giving the dough an extra rise, increasing the proving time and lowering the oven temperature. So at 12.45 pm last night (or should I say this morning) I was giving my husband a portion of buttered Hot Cross Bun and asking his opinion. He did protest that he didn’t want to eat just before going to sleep but I was insistent – “perfect” he said, after finally relenting to my request. “Great, I’ve cracked it” I said and went to bed tired but happy!

So the moral of the story is, Hot Cross Buns don’t like to be rushed. I hope you give these Wholemeal Apple Hot Cross Buns a go this Easter as they are totally delicious and far healthier than their white cousins

For more Hot Cross Bun inspiration you might like to try the following:

As my Wholemeal Apple Hot Cross Buns are such good value compared to shop bought ones I’m entering them into Credit Crunch Munch which I am hosting this month and which I jointly run with Helen of Fuss Free Flavours. I’m also entering Simply Food’s Sweet Treats for Easter challenge. Then there’s Jibber Jabber’s Love Cake event where the theme is Springing into Easter, I may be bending the rules here a bit regarding cake!. Spring into Easter is also the theme for Treat Petite this month hosted by Cakey Boi and alternately with The Baking Explorer. Finally I’m entering the Made with Love Mondays which is hosted by Javelin Warrior’s Cookin w’luv as these buns are totally made from scratch.